listening, which I started to learn
more and more recently, by listen-
ing to designers. And it’s been a
deep pleasure and great opening
of my instrument and my heart - I
hate how pretentious that sounds -
but it’s been a great opening of my
heart and mind to be working
directly with designers, who come
at storytelling from very different
points of view . . . I mean, these are
mighty artists. And we spend a lot
of time talking about the world of
the play . . . Listening to and watch-
ing and responding to what is
coming to you unlocks the deeper
colors of a play. And so when I’m
directing my own material, I do feel
pretty careful about who I’m going
to cast. There are six people in this
play. And five of them are people
I’ve worked with multiple times.
And so there’s a kind of shared un-
derstanding of the kind of story-
telling that I do in the theater. You
know, there’s a kind of emotional
openness of heart that’s required; a
dexterity of language; and ability to
nail a laugh . . . There’s a real
muscle around the ability to tell
a joke in the worlds that I build. I
mean, even though this is a really
terrifying - emotionally terrifying
play - there’s a lot of comedy in it.
And so, I generally, make sure I
have the right actors.
Sherman: Do you think your tal-
ent is genetic? Or based on your ex-
perience? Or a combination?
Rebeck: That is actually an excel-
lent question . . . I think a writer is
like a musician. You have to have an
ear. On the other hand, I do believe
in that thing that Malcolm Gladwell
says about 10,000 hours; if you put
in your 10,000 hours, you’re go-
ing to be pretty good at what you
do. I mean, I play the piano . . .
If I practiced, I got better…
There was one summer when I
was, like, 16, and I was playing
three or four hours a day - and
I got really good, really fast.
And so I do believe that there
is a workmen-like aspect to
this task that we set ourselves.
Sherman: You grew up in a
very religious family. It’s in-
teresting that when you first
started to describe Dig, you
said it’s about redemption -
and “Is a person redeemable?”
My mind automatically went:
“Oh, if someone is a bad
person, is it possible for them
to potentially be saved?” But
then you rephrased your
response from the other
perspective: “If someone has
been damaged by an atrocity,
can they rediscover human-
ity?” And those are two very
different thoughts. But your
initial instinct was to use the
word, “redemption”. It struck
me as fascinating, given the
beginning of our discussion
regarding your Catholic up-
bringing. Do you still think
in terms of redemption?
Rebeck: I certainly often think
in terms of holiness and grace
and creation. I think I have a
spiritual question at my center.
I don’t have a religious
question at my center. I am
pretty clear on what I think
about religion . . . But I believe
in spirituality. And I believe in
the beauty of the earth. And
that we are called to be creative
beings and to care for each
other. I believe in all of those
things. I believe in justice. I be-
lieve in humanity. And I think
those are spiritual beliefs.
EMMY Award Winner Alfre Woodard
in a reading of ZEALOT (2014) Photo by
Taylor Crichton, provided by Dorset Theatre
Festival.
For information about
Dig
DorsetTheatreFestival.org
To listen to the extended
audio interview with
Theresa Rebeck
go to
VT VOICES
at
OldMillRoadRecording.com
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